Fleury is Penguins’ unsung hero

While the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel get the headlines in Pittsburgh, the main reason why the Penguins are seven wins away from defending their Stanley Cup title is goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury Saving Pittsburgh’s Bacon

When the Stanley Cup playoffs began, Matt Murray was expected to be in goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But when he was injured late in the regular season, veteran Marc-Andre Fleury stepped into the breach and carried on seamlessly. Pittsburgh will count on him to keep it rolling in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference, which we look at here, with the odds set by BetOnline.ag:

Seated on the bench last spring, Marc-Andre Fleury watched as rookie Matt Murray performed spectacularly in the net for the Penguins. Fleury made only a cameo appearance as he won his second Stanley Cup ring, and it was easy to forget how integral a part he was in Pittsburgh’s 2008-09 Stanley Cup triumph.

Fleury’s last-second blocker save on a point-blank drive by Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom in Game 7 of the 2009 Cup final series preserved Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win, so he was a pretty fair safety valve to have waiting in the wings when Murray was injured late in the season. It was an awfully good thing that the Penguins didn’t opt to move Fleury at the NHL trade deadline as was highly speculated at the time.

The veteran goalie shares the playoff lead with two shutouts after his 23-save 1-0 verdict over the Senators in Game 2, Fleury’s second shutout in three games and 10th all-time, which ties him for 11th on the career Stanley Cup list. He’s also won 62 playoff games, good for 13th overall and his next win with deadlock Fleury with Curtis Joseph for 12th spot.

Fleury has already outplayed Vezina Trophy finalists Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus) and Braden Holtby (Washington) in the playoffs, so it’s hard to believe that Ottawa’s Craig Anderson will get the better of him. Fleury’s .931 save percentage is third-best in the playoffs.

Phil Kessel, who scored Pittsburgh’s only goal in Game 2, has recorded 27-28-55 totals in 59 career regular-season and playoff games against Ottawa, including 10 game-winning goals.

Play The Puckline Already, Will You

There is no better wager in this spring’s Stanley Cup playoffs than the puckline, where teams either get or give 1.5 goals. Why, you ask?

Well, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final marked the 45th one-goal game of the playoffs. The NHL record for one-goal games in a single playoff year is 51, set in 2007.

The Penguins have played seven one-goal games and are 4-3. The Senators have appeared in 11 such contests and are 8-3.

You’ll get 1.5 goals from BetOnline if you play the Senators in the puckline at odds of -265. All they have to do for you to cash is not lose by two or more goals. Any other outcome and you are a winner.

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